ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board has formed a two-member fact-finding panel to investigate how players were infected with coronavirus in the bio-secure bubble, leading to the postponement of the country’s premier Twenty20 league.
The Pakistan Super League was indefinitely postponed on Thursday after six players and a support staff member — including Australian legspinner Fawad Ahmed — tested positive for COVID-19.
The two-member panel is made up of Pakistan’s infectious disease experts Dr. Syed Faisal Mahmood and Dr. Salman Mohammad Abbas, who will review the bio-secure bubble protocols put in place for the PSL. They will submit a report to PCB chairman Ehsan Mani by March 31.
The PCB said in a statement on Sunday that the independent panel has also been tasked with identifying shortcomings of the bio-secure bubble and “advise as to the reasons why the bio-secure environment did not remain COVID-19 free.”
Mani said that both doctors will also speak with all the relevant PSL stakeholders, including players, event and hotel staff as well as medical and compliance officers attached to all six teams.
“The independent panel of two distinguished experts has been appointed with the sole purpose of an honest, constructive and objective review,” Mani said.
Medical panel to investigate spread of coronavirus in Pakistan Super League
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Medical panel to investigate spread of coronavirus in Pakistan Super League
- Infectious disease experts will explore why the PSL players’ and staff’s bio-secure bubble failed
- The hugely popular PSL was postponed mid-league after six players and a staff member tested positive for COVID-19
Deputy PM Dar, Etisalat chairman discuss investment, stake in Pakistan’s PTCL
- The development comes against backdrop of a long-running dispute over PTCL privatization
- The issue has resurfaced in recent years as Pakistan seeks to advance privatization plans
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met with Jassem Mohammed Bu Ataba Al Zaabi, chairman of Etisalat (e&) and the Abu Dhabi Department of Finance, and discussed with him investment prospects, including Etisalat’s stake in Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), the Pakistani foreign ministry said on Saturday.
The planned meeting with the Etisalat chairman comes against the backdrop of a long-running dispute over the privatization of PTCL. The UAE-based telecom group has withheld a final payment of about $800 million linked to its 2005 acquisition of a 26 percent stake in PTCL, citing delays in the transfer of properties included in the deal, a position disputed by Pakistan.
The issue has resurfaced in recent years as Pakistan seeks to revive investor confidence, advance privatization plans and stabilize its finances under a program backed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“The meeting reviewed Pakistan-UAE trade & economic cooperation, explored opportunities to enhance investment, and discussed e&’s pending issues and ongoing engagement in Pakistan, including through its stake in PTCL,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said.
Pakistan and the UAE maintain close political and economic ties, with Abu Dhabi providing critical financial support to Islamabad in recent years through deposits, loans and investment commitments as Pakistan navigates a fragile economic recovery.
“DPM/FM highlighted the Government of Pakistan’s commitment to facilitating investment by the private sector and partner countries, and to further strengthening economic cooperation between the two brotherly countries,” the foreign ministry said after the meeting.
The Pakistani deputy PM arrived in the UAE on Friday on an official visit following his participation in the World Economic Forum in Davos, according to his ministry. He will also hold meetings with other UAE officials during the visit.
